ABOUT
THE AUTHORS

Ruth Edenbaum was born in New York City and raised on Long Island. She
has been eating for nearly 65 years and enjoying eating for over 40 which
time span coincides roughly with the point at which she stopped studying
such subjects as Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Political Science,
got married to Martin and started cooking. For several years she wrote
a food column called Eats of Eden. She has also taught cooking in the
West Windsor Plainsboro Community Education programs to pupils who ranged
in age from 5 to 85.

She started traveling to Italy in the middle 1970s. Ever
since her first trip, she has dedicated a portion of her energies to finding
ways of returning there as often as possible. She and her husband raised
three sons and a daughter to be delightful adults as well as dedicated foodies.
She divides her time between central New Jersey and Venice which she considers
a second home.

Shannon
Essa

Shannon
Essa was born in Southern California
and raised in Half Moon Bay, California. She spent her formative years studying
Renaissance Art History, and longed to move to Florence, but ended up in
the wine business instead. Florence was forgotten as she plugged along at
her work as well as a part-time catering operation and forays into theater
productions.

For her ten-year anniversary with her company, she was
taken to Italy by her employers. Upon departing, her boss said "I am
going to lose you to Italy," and he did. As soon as Shannon stepped
off the boat in Venice she knew she was home. In the four years that have
followed she has traveled to Venice on many occasions, and lived there for
one year. Now she is back in the wine business and resides in San Diego,
California. She is an accomplished chef who spends much of her time eating,
drinking, and thinking about food and wine.